St. John Ambulance therapy dogs visit Regina airport

A pilot project at Saskatchewan airports is aimed at making the day a little less "ruff" for stressed-out travellers.

St. John Ambulance brought in a couple of therapy dogs to the Regina International Airport this morning to interact with passengers. It had previously brought dogs to the Saskatoon International Airport as well.

Ashley Balysky, community services coordinator with St. John Ambulance in Saskatchewan, said she's seen the impact.

Having a dog there to relax them, they can sit there and pet the dog, they don't have to make small talk with the dog, eases their stress a little bit- Ashley Balysky

"What we see in airports is people have to be there two hours before their flight, maybe their flight's delayed, maybe their car didn't start that morning (because it is) minus 45 (Celsius), and so emotions are running high, they're feeling stressed, they're feeling anxious," Balysky said.

"Having a dog there to relax them, they can sit there and pet the dog. They don't have to make small talk with the dog — eases their stress a little bit."

The dogs are brought to the airport by their owners, who train them to be service dogs and volunteer them to be a part of this project. The dogs are first tested by St. John Ambulance for obedience and temperament. Balysky said those that are allergic or fearful of dogs need not worry.

"Our handlers are amazing," she said. "They can tell if someone has that look of, 'I don't like your dog,' or 'I don't want to pet your dog.' And they'll just move along."

The goal is to bring in therapy dogs to the airports a couple times per week.